Monday, March 31, 2014

DECEIT AT IT'S BEST

If you didn't get a chance to listen to our board discuss what they do to people who get in their way.
Listen to the audio they supposedly leaked.

http://tu.tv/usuario/ciafwisd

Broken into three parts.

Arlington Heights just keeps on giving

How much more corruption has to happen before something is done?

February 10, 2008

What happened to the game tickets?

Author: DAVE LIEBER; Star-Telegram Staff Writer

Edition: Tarrant

Section: Metro

Page: B3

Article Text:

The issue

Is the Fort Worth school district getting the cash it should from ticket sales at home basketball games?

The former boys' and girls' varsity basketball coaches at Arlington Heights High School contacted The Watchdog a year ago to say that their school was not following district policy regarding the cash sale of tickets to basketball games on campus. Tickets are supposed to be used to ensure an accurate count of sales. But, they said, no tickets were used.

Both coaches, Harris Hughey (boys) and Quinn Tedder (girls), subsequently left the district. They say they believed that attendance was higher than stated at games they coached. They wonder about checks and balances and whether policies are followed.

How the system is supposed to work

David Guerra, the district's facilities/ticket manager, says game tickets are the key component of the accounting system to keep proper track of the number of people attending games and how much they paid.A ticket is to be allotted for each paying spectator. The tickets are not given to the spectator, but the ticket taker is to rip it half. One half is placed in a container; the other is discarded. The starting and ending numbers of the tickets sold are also recorded.After the event, the cash collected should match the number of tickets sold. This policy is written and widely circulated.

How much money is involved

Last season, for Arlington Heights boys' games, a recorded 545 tickets were sold for the season. For girls' games, 670 tickets were sold, according to records provided by the school. For the season, the school sent $3,252 to the district. Thirteen schools combined sent $37,000 last season from ticket sales to the district, which deposits the money into its general fund.

Evaluation by the district attorney's office

Last season, after Hughey and Tedder filed a complaint with the Tarrant County district attorney's office, an investigator attended two Arlington Heights games.

"Based upon our looking at the matter, it doesn't look like there's any accounting, other than they hand out a roll of tickets andthen they turn in a roll with so many missing and so much money. But there's no accounting for tickets by number or any other way," Joe Shannon, chief of the division of economic and computer crimes, told me.

"It's just a questionof the word of the person who has the roll of tickets as to how many they sold."

His investigator saw that ticket-sellers weren't using tickets.

"That's a possible leak in the bucket," Shannon said. "I'm not saying these people are doing anything wrong, but that is a 'hole' in their accounting system. That's the deal."

The DA's office dropped the matter, though. "We're not able to prove how many admissions were collected, and if we can't prove how many were collected and compare that to any turned in, we can't prove if there was any missing money. So there's the problem."

What The Watchdog found

I attended basketball games this season and last season at Arlington Heights. I never saw tickets used. I attended games at some other Fort Worth schools and never saw tickets.

Some people collecting money at the door kept a tally sheet using hash marks to record each person who paid. Others kept no records.

At Arlington Heights, girls athletic coordinator Isabelle "Izzy" Perry told me that tickets were never used in public because they are "messy" and ended up on the court.

Perry said her ticket sellers tallied admissions with hash marks. She said that "most" other schools were not tearing tickets.

Administration response

I showed officials photos and video of people accepting money for admission but not using tickets. Guerra said this violated district policy.

Assistant Athletic Director Lisa Langston talked to Perry to reiterate the importance of tickets in game sales.

Perry told me afterward that she bought a glass fishbowl in which to collect ticket halves at all future games. Langston sent an e-mail to those in the district involved in ticket sales, reminding them that "the physical act of taking a ticket and tearing it in half should be in full view of the paying public. This is an important step in conducting transparent business practices.Therefore, if your ticket taker is not or has not been following this procedure, please be certain that they do so."

Notes for future cases

The school district needs to do a better job of fulfilling requests for public records.

Last May, I asked for a copy of "any document that shows the amount of tickets sold" at district high schools during basketball season. The Watchdog received only a portion of the records: No campus records were provided, although schools keep their own ticket-selling records.

How ticket sales work

At the start of the season, boys' and girls' basketball coaches sign for rolls of tickets. Each school's tickets are a designated color.

At campus basketball games, Fort Worth school district ticket-takers are employees who earn $30 a game. They must "take and tear all tickets in half and properly dispose of them," the policy states. "Do not give spectators their half due to possible abuse of entry into future athletic events. Do not dispose of them in plain sight."

The starting ticket number and the ending ticket number for the event are to be recorded on a tally sheet. The collection of half-tickets ought to match the number of tickets sold and the total cash collected.

Money is supposed to be deposited the next day with each school's internal finance clerk. Reconciliation with the district happens by the end of the school year. The district's general fund gets the proceeds.

Have questions about ticket sales policies and procedures? Call the ticket office at 817-531-6136.

Source: Fort Worth chool district

The Watchdog column appears Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Dave Lieber, 817-685-3830

Record Number: 317426

DANSBY Evaluation Postponed

Interesting how those that wield power just do as they please to make sure they get what they want. What are they afraid of? Public opinion getting to them? Well it should. We are tired of the same all the time and no new results.

We have one champion who is doing a lot for FWISD. Thank you Dr. Sutherland!

Read this:

Superintendent Evaluation meeting cancelled

by Ann Sutherland on 03/30/14

The March 31 meeting to complete the Superintendent's evaluation has been postponed according to a communication late in the week by President Moss.

Comments (10)

1. TiredOfTheExcess said on 3/30/14 - 06:29PM

Probably a wise move, given the fact that his refusal to settle with Palazzolo just cost the district 2.1 million dollars (the difference between what Palazzolo was willing to settle for before, and what the jury just awarded him).

2. Concerned Tax Payer said on 3/31/14 - 12:21AM

The total cost of the Palazzolo trial with all the expenses included might be over 3 million.The Superintendent should be held accountable for the outcome.This money could have helped a lot of students.

3. Ann replies said on 3/31/14 - 01:03AM

Mr. Palazzolo's legal fees will be between $600,000 and $800,000 by my estimate. When these are added to FWISD's legal fees, the total is likely to exceed $4 million. One way to look at $4 million is that it is 16,000 hours of tutoring.

4. lindalabeau said on 3/31/14 - 11:16AM

Fellow taxpayers if you really want to get upset about how fwisd spends money read the 2013 fwisd audit. If you add the district's squandering of legal funds to the malfeasance of fwisd administration someone smarter than me will have to do the computation. The board of trustees has a fiduciary responsibility to guard and protect public money.

5. Anonymous said on 3/31/14 - 02:27PM

Ann, I just wanted to thank you again for providing this forum. The Star-Telegram's new policy of requiring a Facebook account to submit comments has had a chilling effect on the number of reader's leaving such comments, as can clearly be seen on the Dansby article (which was far less thorough and informative than the FW Weekly's- an embarrassment for our paper of record). No school employee in his or her right mind would share their honest opinions about Dansby and his administration, based on his reputation for vindictiveness. I hope the other school board members are not swayed by the positive comments about him made by some FWISD principals at the last school board meeting. Who wouldn't speak kindly of their boss right in front of him? Have you gotten to see the District's teachers' survey yet? It has been over a month since it closed, so it should be available.

6. Ann replies to #4 said on 3/31/14 - 03:39PM

You are welcome. It has been helpful to me to receive feedback. I agree that the Star-Telegram's new policy does have a chilling effect.

7. CIAFWISD said on 3/31/14 - 03:40PM

Dr. Sutherland, here is the link to statements employees made to OPS which you may not have seen that shows the Arlington Heights problems from a while back. Go back and read the weekly article where you posted comment and see posting from cia.

8. CIA said on 3/31/14 - 03:40PM

Link: copy and paste below https://docs.google.com/document/d/1AF4Ph_fJ1kZqXLT8m-EfV8s-At8Gcil3Jcvhid7occc/edit?usp=sharing

9. cesar chavez said on 3/31/14 - 05:44PM

Why was there no announcement or mention of Cesar Chavez?

10. Ann replies said on 3/31/14 - 07:09PM

Good question, as today is his birthday. I guess the staff forgot, as this is a holiday in Texas, Colorado and California. My husband and I boycotted grapes as young parents in Berkeley; our son, who was born in 1963, ate his first grapes when Chavez signed his first contract.

Documents NOT MEANT TO BE SEEN

How to get promoted in FWISD.

Seems the only way to get promoted is to harm children or do something bad enough that they can still cover up. Read below!

Star-Telegram, May 1, 1998

Accused of failure to report suspected abuse by colleague--Charges filed against 2 Fort Worth educators

By Chris Vaughn, Staff Writer

FORT WORTH -- The Tarrant County district attorney's office filed formal misdemeanor charges yesterday against two Sagamore Hill Elementary School administrators accused of ignoring reports that a child may have been molested by a teacher at the campus.

The Class B misdemeanor charges against Principal Sherry Breed and Assistant Principal Hilaria Ruiz were assigned to Judge Mike Mitchell's county criminal court. A conviction could carry a maximum punishment of six months in jail and a $2,000 fine.

Ruiz' attorney said the case is not nearly as straightforward as it may seem and expressed confidence that his client will prevail in a trial.

"I believe this falls into that gray area," attorney Albert Perez said. "There were other allegations later, but that wasn't what was reported to her. What was reported by the mother was just nebulous. There wasn't any clear-cut accusations of wrongdoing."

Breed's attorney, Tim White, did not comment on specifics, but said: "We intend to let this go to court. When all the facts come out, I'm confident she will be acquitted."

Assistant District Attorney David Montague declined to comment about the evidence in the case.

Breed and Ruiz are accused of failing to tell police or Child Protective Services that a mother told them twice that her child might have seen a teacher molesting a student. The teacher, Modesto Rodriguez, was already under investigation on accusations of sexual abuse of another child. He ]has since been convicted of aggravated sexual assault in that case and sentenced to 20 years in prison.

It is unusual, authorities said, to file a charge of not reporting allegations of abuse, although they could not give precise numbers of such cases. Longtime Fort Worth school district officials say they can't remember it ever happening to an educator.

Prosecutors say it is more common for family members to be accused of not reporting child abuse.

"It's quite rare and has to be a pretty blatant situation, where obviously the person was aware and failed to report," said Michael Beene, a program director with CPS.

CPS officials estimate that the number of reports from employees of the Fort Worth school district has doubled since the police opened their investigation of Breed and Ruiz and stern reminders were issued by Superintendent Thomas Tocco.

"We're now receiving an enormous amount of referrals from throughout the region," agency spokeswoman Marleigh Meisner said. "Referrals from all school districts have steadily increased throughout the year, and we estimate that referrals from the Fort Worth ISD have doubled in the last few weeks."

CPS could not pinpoint the exact number it has received but the district typically reports about 70 to 110 suspected cases a month. CPS expects reports to surpass that number for the next several months.

"This heightens awareness, especially if there are consequences to individuals," Beene said. "It scares people that they could be violating a law, so any of those gray areas, they're reporting."

In 1965, the Legislature passed a law making it a misdemeanor for physicians to not report suspected child abuse or neglect. The law has been changed several times over the years, most notably changing the wording to say "any person" must report his suspicions to authorities.

The law specifically names several categories of people -- teachers, physicians, nurses, day-care workers and probation officers among them -- who must report allegations or suspicions within 48 hours.

Although teachers say there are times when it is obvious that what they see or hear in school should be reported to police or CPS, they also contend that sometimes the decisions are not so easy.

Beene agreed that there is still "some confusion" and plenty of judgment calls, but he said that CPS has tried to clarify the law in training sessions and memos to school personnel.

Perez repeated his wish to have the trial this summer, so Ruiz can have the opportunity to return to school this fall. Ruiz and Breed are both on paid administrative leave.

While Perez said the intent of the law is admirable, he believes that there is too much wiggle room for people to make honest mistakes.

"Judging from the feelings I'm getting within the community, I get some good vibes about what a jury would do," Perez said. "From what I've read and heard, people aren't too comfortable with what's happening to my client."

`Chris Vaughn, (817) 390-7547'

WELCOME TO CITIZENS IN ACTION FOR FORT WORTH ISD (CIAFWISD)

This blog is designed to bring you information that otherwise would be hidden or kept from the public. Please pass the word along that only we can give transparency to an otherwise closed district.
Here you can comment in private by saying post as a guest, give a name and email. The email you can include any you want and it won't be posted it just serves as a verification. Just make one up.

Let's make this successful.

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1.	TiredOfTheExcess said on 3/30/14 - 06:29PM
	Probably a wise move, given the fact that his refusal to settle with Palazzolo just cost the district 2.1 million dollars (the difference between what Palazzolo was willing to settle for before, and what the jury just awarded him).
2.	Concerned Tax Payer said on 3/31/14 - 12:21AM
	The total cost of the Palazzolo trial with all the expenses included might be over 3 million.The Superintendent should be held accountable for the outcome.This money could have helped a lot of students.
3.	Ann replies said on 3/31/14 - 01:03AM
	Mr. Palazzolo's legal fees will be between $600,000 and $800,000 by my estimate. When these are added to FWISD's legal fees, the total is likely to exceed $4 million. One way to look at $4 million is that it is 16,000 hours of tutoring.
4.	lindalabeau said on 3/31/14 - 11:16AM
	Fellow taxpayers if you really want to get upset about how fwisd spends money read the 2013 fwisd audit. If you add the district's squandering of legal funds to the malfeasance of fwisd administration someone smarter than me will have to do the computation. The board of trustees has a fiduciary responsibility to guard and protect public money.
5.	Anonymous said on 3/31/14 - 02:27PM
	Ann, I just wanted to thank you again for providing this forum. The Star-Telegram's new policy of requiring a Facebook account to submit comments has had a chilling effect on the number of reader's leaving such comments, as can clearly be seen on the Dansby article (which was far less thorough and informative than the FW Weekly's- an embarrassment for our paper of record). No school employee in his or her right mind would share their honest opinions about Dansby and his administration, based on his reputation for vindictiveness. I hope the other school board members are not swayed by the positive comments about him made by some FWISD principals at the last school board meeting. Who wouldn't speak kindly of their boss right in front of him? Have you gotten to see the District's teachers' survey yet? It has been over a month since it closed, so it should be available.
6.	Ann replies to #4 said on 3/31/14 - 03:39PM
	You are welcome. It has been helpful to me to receive feedback. I agree that the Star-Telegram's new policy does have a chilling effect.
7.	CIAFWISD said on 3/31/14 - 03:40PM
	Dr. Sutherland, here is the link to statements employees made to OPS which you may not have seen that shows the Arlington Heights problems from a while back. Go back and read the weekly article where you posted comment and see posting from cia.
8.	CIA said on 3/31/14 - 03:40PM
	Link: copy and paste below https://docs.google.com/document/d/1AF4Ph_fJ1kZqXLT8m-EfV8s-At8Gcil3Jcvhid7occc/edit?usp=sharing
9.	cesar chavez said on 3/31/14 - 05:44PM
	Why was there no announcement or mention of Cesar Chavez?
10.	Ann replies said on 3/31/14 - 07:09PM
	Good question, as today is his birthday. I guess the staff forgot, as this is a holiday in Texas, Colorado and California. My husband and I boycotted grapes as young parents in Berkeley; our son, who was born in 1963, ate his first grapes when Chavez signed his first contract.

Monday, March 31, 2014

Superintendent Evaluation meeting cancelled

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